I flew back to the Celatus camp irritated. I'd earned my right to see Guru, finally, but I'd been the last one to finish my trial. By a whole nine days, no less!
It sucked, but apparently, one of my team had finished their trial within the day. Another had taken around three days, then someone else had finished a day later, and then the second-to-last person had taken five days. I couldn't help but brood.
I was supposed to be the leader! How could I lose a race!?
But as I touched down near the camp, I felt my irritation ease a bit, as I sensed everyone else's energy.
"Tarble!"
"Hey, Pepper, Tater." Pepper tackled me in a hug and refused to let go. She must've been extra restless since I'd taken so long, so I let her hang onto my back like a koala as I greeted Tater right behind her. "You guys made a lot of progress. Where are the others? I can sense them in camp, but…"
"Lynn's taking her third shower today. Her trial… Pepper thought she was a dirt monster when she got back from it." I snorted at that. I could only imagine how tough that'd be on the girl. "Tommy figured out some new technique during his trial, and he's been working on it every spare second since."
"Yeah, I can tell, you all got stronger… Especially you, Pep." It was true. Their actual strength hadn't increased much, but the way their ki energies flowed… It was qualitative growth across the board. Especially in Pepper. Even though she'd only gotten a little bit stronger in terms of raw power, her energy had somehow synced with her body in a way that actually managed to shock even me. It'd gone from some sort of raging rapid-type flow to a calm, tranquil stream. Maybe calmer than my own, which was really weird, because I didn't think the words 'calm' and 'Pepper' ever deserved to be in the same sentence.
"So, what was your- Who's that? I've never sensed a Namekian this strong!" Tater began asking me about my test, only to cut himself off as a strong power level closing in on our camp made us all turn our heads in sync.
"...Huh." I muttered to myself.
While this particular power level was strong, that was only by Namekian standards, which weren't that different from Saiyan standards. Honestly, they only felt like they were on Pepper's level, maybe a bit stronger. I'd expected Nail, who was stronger than the current me. Whoever this was, was only around a tenth as strong as that, give or take. Something that I could completely overtake in a fight just with raw strength.
Was Nail still a kid or something? While that was a possibility, I knew that Namekian lifespans were, on average, around three times that of humans, and varied far more. It didn't feel right that a warrior that powerful by Namekian standards would still be a kid even now. They didn't grow like the Z-Fighters tended to. It was gradual, small gains over years, decades.
Soon enough, my team had gathered outside the camp to greet the powerful visitor, Lynn's hair still wet from the shower as the green-skinned Namekian warrior landed in front of us, giving us a once-over.
"I am Nail, the champion of Namek, and the guardian of our Grand Elder, Guru. I have been tasked with taking your group to see the Grand Elder, but I must insist that, before I do, you all swear to treat him with the respect he deserves. I will not allow harm to befall our beloved Grand Elder." The no-nonsense Namekian explained, his arms crossed in an unhappy gesture. Clearly, he didn't want us actually meeting Guru, but Nail wasn't the type to go against Guru's will, so he was here.
Still, though… Why was he so much weaker than he'd been in the original timeline? I'd been hoping for a good fight, but this version of Nail was a better sparring partner for Pepper than he'd be for me.
…
After we all easily agreed to his request, Nail led us deep into the heart of Namek, a place far away from any of the villages we could sense. It was only upon getting far away from everything else that I finally began sensing it. A tiny, life force, flickering in the distance, among the animals and insects, nearly indistinguishable from a random dying dinosaur, which made sense. Guru kind-of was a dying old dinosaur.
When we finally landed in front of the small little pod-house atop the incredibly tall plateau, Nail ushered me in first. Apparently, Guru wanted to speak to the leader first.
That was fine by me. I entered the house by myself.
When I entered, the first thing that I saw was the gigantic Namekian sitting on the throne in front of me. He didn't look any younger than he had in the anime, like he'd keep over any moment.
"Hello… Child. I understand that you've come quite a ways, overcome many trials, to see me."
"Yes, Grand Elder." I bowed, "I think this would be easier if you simply searched my mind, it is a long story." I found myself speaking formally, but I couldn't help myself.
Even as decrepit as he was, something about Guru just commanded respect. I couldn't help it.
This guy was literally dying, and he still had way more ki than I did, all perfectly masked.
He was hundreds of years older than even Kami, making him the second oldest Namekian in the entire known universe, and he had access to techniques that even lower-class gods didn't know anything about, such as potential unlock and the Dragon Balls, and the guy could sense Namek from Earth even as he lay dying.
I couldn't help but feel a little Hero worship coming over me as I walked over to his side to allow him to read my mind, even as I hesitated over one disturbing possibility…
In some fanfictions, Guru and Slug were like Kami and Piccolo, two sides of the same Namekian. The possibility sat deep in my mind, even as I dismissed it, knowing that the actual chances of that being fact were almost nonexistent. Not only had that never been brought up in the actual main timeline, but I'd done a deep dive into everything the Northern quadrant of the universe had to offer, and I'd never come across any mention of a 'Lord Slug'.
Even if he was real, there was no way that he was connected to Guru. Going by logic alone, the possibility was essentially nonexistent.
So, I allowed Guru to read my mind. He could be trusted with the knowledge inside, I knew it.
Or, at least, I really wanted to believe it.